The Class 56 heavy freight locos were first introduced in the late 1970s. The first batch was built in Romania, followed by a second batch built in the UK. Featured here are photos from 1980 to 2017 that include most locos of the class and cover all parts of England and Wales where they worked.

Coal, steel, petroleum, stone, engineers and mixed freight workings are covered, as well as some passenger trains. Liveries included are BR blue, large logo blue, early Railfreight greys, Railfreight Sectors (coal, steel and stone), Transrail, Loadhaul, EWS, DCR and Colas, plus some odd one-off liveries.

This book shows the progression of the class through the years as they have moved between different areas.